Sunday Herald editorial, 25 January 2015
There has always been a touch of cognitive dissonance, when climate chaos is threatening, over the opening up of new fossil fuel frontiers.
Exploiting more of the earth's carbon resources when we know that to stay safe most of them will have to stay in the ground has never looked smart.
That is why this weekend's moves by the SNP and Labour to ban onshore gas developments - at least for a while - are to be welcomed. Crucially, as both parties made clear yesterday, the bans encompass coalbed methane as well as fracking for shale gas.
There are live proposals to mine coalbed methane near Falkirk and in Canonbie, and the prospect of fracking applications around Grangemouth from the chemical company, Ineos. Neither SNP MPs' backing for a UK moratorium of between 18 and 30 months nor Labour's conditional ban if they get elected mean that these plans are dead - but they are dying.